It may have been inevitable that Los Angeles-born and -raised Mark Winkler would become a singer-songwriter. Like one of his aunts, his mother had been a big-band singer (she'd been known as "The Star Dust Lady", and had been an entertainer on cruises to Panama). He says "We were singing standards from the Great American Songbook", and recalls her giving him singing lessons while cooking meals later at night (it was late because she'd been out working). His two brothers didn't catch the bug, but Mark was writing stories at age seven, and wanted to be a singer from age nine.

Mark's songs have been recorded by Randy Crawford, Dianne Reeves and Liza Minelli, among others. He also co-wrote the hit "Naked Boys Singings", still running Off-Broadway after a decade. (He says "People went for the gratuitous nudity and they left humming the songs." One of one of his own musicals, "Bark" is all about dogs: he adds "They're naked, too!")

The good reception of his 2003 recording of songs all written by one of his idols, Bobby Troup, was trumped by that for 2009's "Till I Get It Right", which appeared on not a few "best-of" lists, including those of Don Albert at "Down Beat" and Christopher Loudon at "Jazz Times". Perhaps the best review is that by Jonathan Widran at "All Music Guide", which begins "Get it right? How about darn near as perfect as a spirited set of (mostly) original contemporary jazz vocals can be?"

Let's leave the last word to Mark himself. "Basically, I'm a simple guy: I like dogs, film noir, and writing songs."

Pick

Artist

Album

Song

Label

# 1

Mark Murphy

Stolen Moments

Stolen Moments

Muse

# 2

Lorraine Feather

New York City Drag

You're Outa Here

Rhombus

# 3

Bobby Troup

Bobby Troup

Lemon Twist

Capitol

# 4

Shirley Horn

Here's to Life

Here's to Life

Telarc

# 5

Julie London

Julie Is My Name

Cry Me a River

MFP

# 6

The Manhattan Transfer

Bop Doo-Wopp

Route 66

Atlantic

# 7

Al Jarreau

Look to the Rainbow

Take Five

Warner Bros

# 8

Claire Martin

Make This City Ours

Bye Bye, Country Boy

Honest

# 9

Chet Baker

My Funny Valentine

Let's Get Lost

Pacific Jazz

Book

F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Tender Is the Night", or Robert Goolrick, "A Reliable Wife"